AN INCREDIBLE throwback picture of Conor McGregor before his MMA debut reveals him clean-shaven with no tattoos.
The 32-year-old is pictured before his last fight against Donald Cerrone in January and 12 years prior – ahead of his first fight.
Noticeably the Irishman began his career clean shaven and without tattoos.
He is now covered with ink and renowned for his bushy beard.
McGregor won 12 of his 14 opening bouts – winning two Cage Warriors belts – before signing with the UFC in 2013.
He won his octagon debut in one minute beating Marcus Brimage – still with no tattoos.
The Notorious quickly established himself as a rising star with five UFC wins before challenging for his first title.
It took McGregor just two years to win UFC gold, knocking out Chad Mendes for the interim featherweight crown.
He then followed it up with a 13-second KO against Jose Aldo – who was unbeaten in ten years – to close 2015 as 145lb king.
It was incidentally the Dubliner’s first fight with his famous McGregor tattoo – which stretches across his torso.
The following year he was set to move up to lightweight to challenge Rafael dos Anjos.
But the Brazilian pulled out leaving Nate Diaz to step in on just 11 days notice – with McGregor moving up to welterweight.
There he lost his first UFC fight, with Diaz winning by second round submission – but revenge was enacted five months later on points.
McGregor did eventually challenge for the lightweight belt – dethroning Eddie Alvarez to become the first man to hold two titles at the same time.
The southpaw then put his UFC career on hold in 2017 to make his boxing debut in a lucrative crossover against Floyd Mayweather.
Despite early success, Mayweather upped the tempo and would end the fight in round ten.
Having pocketed close to £80million after the defeat, McGregor returned to the UFC to face arch rival Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Nurmagomedov won in the fourth with a neck crank, but a post-fight brawl threatened to steal the headlines.
McGregor took a hiatus in 2019 after suffering an injury.
He would not fight against until the start of 2020, beating Cerrone in just 40 seconds.
But it could be his last in the cage, having announced for the third time in four years that he would be retiring.
The former two-weight champion grew frustrated during coronavirus lockdown having been unable to fight.
And after Justin Gaethje won the interim lightweight belt to set up a unification against Khabib, McGregor once again hung up the gloves in June.
He has since been vacationing in France, where he announced his engagement to long-time partner Dee Devlin.
UFC president Dana White has opened the door for McGregor to make a fighting comeback, but warned it will not be until the new year.
